Check out https://affordableflying.net/attend/ Right Away and Get YOUR Tickets To the Affordable Flying Expo!

OK.... with a little over a month to go, it’s time to get serious! Thanks to the folks at Sun n Fun, we have a highly professional online ticketing apparatus at our disposal for next month’s Affordable Flying Expo. And we have other good news... use the code “AFE2025” and you can get $5 OFF the adult ticket price of $15 or even more for a three day pass. After an insane amount of work on the part of the ANN crew and more than a little hand holding by the event experts at Sun n Fun, the Expo is shaping up. We have an amazing series of seminars and forums in the works as well as a LIVE Friday Night Town Hall in which we will be dissecting MOSAIC in as great a detail as we can muster. 

ALPA Rallies Behind Unpaid Controllers, TSA Officers, and Federal Staff

Coming up on a month of government shutdown pains means that thousands of aviation workers are feeling the sting of their first missed paychecks. Air traffic controllers, systems specialists, TSA officers, and other federal employees are still showing up to work without pay… and unions are trying to keep them sane in the meantime.

Illegal Flights Have Grown Since 2014, Shutdown May Have Effect

U.S. National Parks have prohibited the use of drones for any reason – absent a special permit – since 2014, yet increasing numbers of drone pilots have ignored the ban, and there are some reports that it’s gotten noticeably worse since the government shutdown, although that is not entirely clear. Conducting illegal drone flights can lead to penalties of up to $5,000 and six months in jail. The reasons for the rule should be obvious: generally disrupting visits with noise, harassment of both wildlife and humans, and a number of high-profile crashes. However, some drone pilots still selfishly choose to ignore the rules and continue to degrade the national park experience for other people as well as its animal and bird life.

Modernization of Special Airworthiness Certification Becomes a Final Rule

More than a decade of hard work, legal setbacks, and community advocacy has finally come to fruition, with the Modernization of Special Airworthiness Certification (MOSAIC) legislation officially becoming a final rule on October 22, 2025. Since around three-quarters of the entire general aviation fleet now falls under the sport aviation category, we can confidently say that MOSAIC was well worth the wait.

Scheduled for Friday, November 5th at 1800ET, The MOSAIC Town Hall, Webcast At www.airborne-live.net

One of the more intriguing features of the 2025 Affordable Flying Expo, scheduled for November 6-8 at the Sun n Fun Aerospace Expo campus, principally in Hangar A, is a Friday event we call the MOSAIC Town Hall. Scheduled for Friday, November 5th at 1800ET, the MOSAIC Town Hall will be presented in the nearby Prop 75 building and webcast LIVE via www.airborne-live.net and for the attending audience.

Foundation for Aviation Safety Pushes for Aircraft Accident Investigation Reform

The Foundation for Aviation Safety has exposed a long-unchanged aviation framework: the International Civil Aviation Organization’s Annex 13 standards for accident investigations. The question that remains is whether the system has been left alone because it works, or simply left behind in the chaos.

Also: UAL v WX Balloon?, NASA Reopens Artemis III, Anti-Aero Menendez, Electric Aircraft Cooling

Jared Isaacman, who was initially nominated for the role of NASA Administrator by President Donald Trump and then had his nomination withdrawn, met with SecTrans Sean Duffy on October 13, who interviewed him again for the position. However, reports have emerged that Secretary Duffy is interested in the role himself. The start of a new era of possibilities for recreational aviation is here now on the effective date of the MOSAIC – Modernization of Special Airworthiness Certification – rule from the FAA. For recreational flyers, the new rule has high training standards that have been tailored for the enjoyment of flying. It retains the necessary basics of aircraft operation, navigation, weather, and airport procedures. Additional elements not required for basic flight ops are available for subsequent training. With the shutdown of the U

2,605 Freighter Deliveries Over The Next 20 Years?

The freighter biz is looking healthy... according to Airbus. Airbus’ 2025 Cargo Global Market Forecast (GMF) shows the worldwide fleet of dedicated freighter aircraft rising to 3,420 in the next 20 years, equivalent to a 45% increase. This will be made up of 815 existing freighters and 2,605 additional ones. Of these additional 2,605 freighters, 1,530 will be replacements and 1,075 will be for growth. The additional 2,605 will be split between 1,120 small aircraft, 855 mid-size widebodies, and 630 large widebodies. Overall of the 2,605 additional freighters, 1,670 will be conversions from passenger aircraft and 935 will be new-build freighters.

MOSAIC-Centric Event Set For November 6-8, 2025... DON'T Miss It!

After a master strategy meeting this last week on the grounds of the Sun n Fun Aerospace Expo campus, details have been completed for the first MOSAIC-dedicated, MOSAIC-centric Affordable Flying Expo (AFE25). With the rule officially announced, AFE25 stands to be the best opportunity for MOSAIC-interested folks to get their questions answered and for the industry to show the aviation community that they are ready to serve this expanding niche. 

Rotating Detonation Engine Could Change Efficiency Game

Venus Aerospace announced that Lockheed Martin has provided a strategic investment to further the development of its rotating detonation rocket engine (RDRE), an innovative propulsion system it says could revolutionize propulsion and remake efficiency in space and defense systems.